Ships And Beyond by Saiful Huq (August 19, 2009) 
(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)
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curator statement
Saiful's first work Heroes Never Die is one of my favorites. It is a fantastic piece of work, but was published nor exhibited as it questioned the political system and revealed political parties’ shrewd exploitation of their dedicated workers. I like the way Saiful throws questions in your face. Blunt but bold. With guts. This work on the ship breaking industry, carries the same approach. Revealing another shrewd exploitation of human beings. A story of pain and agony. A S M Rezaur Rahman is the head of operations at Drik and curatorial director of Chobi Mela - International Festival of Photography.
Next / A Personal Look That Functions On A Symbolic Level / Previous / Young Bangladeshi photographers, day 6 /
Poll results
Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
Posted in category 646
Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
More than thirtyfive years ago, a huge ship travelling the Bay of Bengal ran ashore and found its last resting place on the beach of Shitalpur. Local people decided to demolish it and to sell the ship’s remains as scraps. By doing so they gave birth to a new era. The ship breaking industry was born. This story is about life around these decomposing ships. It’s about workers, owners and the ships themselves. These majestic vessels stand tall until their very last moments of existence. But it’s also about the sea, that can bring so much sadness. Ship breaking is dangerous, widow-making work. Some workers get disabled for life, a mother lost her only son in an accident in the ship breaking yard. Beneath this story lies the story of Monga, famine. A deadly event, striking the northern part of Bangladesh each year. It drives thousands out of their homes to search for work. Many of them find themselves in the yards, working ten to twelve hours per day for two US dollars or less. It is hard to obtain access to these ship breaking yards. Most owners do not want photographers to document what goes on inside. Ships and Beyond is a story about the ruthlessness of capitalism.
Saiful Huq (1980) lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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Posted in category 646
